We waited all day yesterday for T6 to fledge, feeling sure that she would do it, but she didn’t. This morning was much the same – we waited with baited breath every time she flapped and stood right on the very edge of the nest! T7 seemed to be trying to encourage her by flying away from the nest then coming back in. We could tell she really wanted to go, but was just a little nervous!

Eventually, at around 1pm, to the delight of watchers in the centre and the hide, she did it!

She launched upwards, and we wondered if she was just helicoptering and would come back down again, as she had done earlier. But this was it, she’d fledged! We saw T8 watching her as she flew. We thought perhaps she’d just leapt onto the camera perch just a couple of feet above her head, as S3 did last season. However, volunteers Lyn and Jeff monitoring from the hide said she flew to the T-perch and landed there. As per usual, Maya was there to join T6 on her maiden flight.

She’s gone!

T8 is also ready to fledge, we’re sure. We have seen him doing a lot of helicoptering too, and it won’t be long before he joins the others in the air!